39 Pioneers

While working on the Ches Perry, RI general secretary 1910 to 1942, story for the Rotary Centennial, I found the 1905 Roster deficient by half and the 1906 Roster completely down the drain. By 1907, “Barney or Cupid” Arntzen, club secretary, had vastly improved the process. Using his records, I reconstructed the membership for the first two years of Rotary, as best I could after those one hundred years. They are now in the Rotary International and ROTARY/One archives.

Four Chicagoans meeting on 23 February 1905, expanded to thirty-nine in Rotary’s three hundred thirty-eight day first year. An organization of thirty-nine, that has become well over one million members and 32,000 clubs at the end of one century, whetted my interest. For some unknown reason, the thirty-nine decided to end the first year on 31 January rather than 23 February 1906, twenty-three days early. That left out two members named Schneider and Tolman who beat the calendar, but not the club decision. In this project, I will confine my research and reporting to the alleged thirty-nine pioneers.